As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Some information handling systems are computer systems that use microprocessors (CPUs) designed for desktop computers. These computer systems are not typically designed with a means for actively reducing CPU power in response to software demand. Rather, such computer systems are typically configured to operate at a fixed frequency and core voltage pair. Under many situations, this results in higher than optimal power draw due to the variable nature of the software demand. This increased power requirement has three main drawbacks. Firstly, it results in higher than optimal utility costs. Secondly, the extra CPU power draw translates directly into increased heat generation. As a consequence, this increased heat level requires more air flow than might otherwise have been necessary. In order to achieve the higher air flow levels, the fans or blowers used for cooling must be operated at a higher speed. This results in additional acoustic noise generation. Finally, when this type of CPU is used in a computer system running on battery power, the result will be reduced battery life.
Technologies that reduce CPU power via combined frequency and voltage control are most often found in CPUs designed specifically for notebook computers. In these implementations, software code to achieve this functionality is either embedded into the operating system or takes the form of a small application which runs on top of the operating system. This code monitors CPU demand and sends instructions to the CPU to change into the voltage/frequency state appropriate to the demand. Two difficulties related to this CPU performance management scheme are the lack of inclusion of this technology on desktop CPUs as well as the need for operating-system-level software specific to the CPU being controlled.
Information handling systems, such as computer systems, have also been designed to monitor temperatures related to the microprocessor in order to control cooling devices, such as the speed at which cooling fans operate. In addition, some desktop CPUs have been configured to make use of a technology that is designed to control processor temperature under extreme environmental conditions in order to protect damage to the CPU and/or system components. This technology can be a hardware feature built into the CPU. When active, it drops the voltage and frequency of the processor automatically as a means to dramatically lower CPU power and hence processor temperature when a over-heating condition is detected. This hardware temperature protection feature, therefore, is used to reduce CPU performance and place the CPU in a low power protection mode when the temperature rises above a danger threshold.